Sundance Overspending: Searchlight Buys ‘Theater Camp’ For $8 Million, Apple Buys ‘Flora and Son’ For $20 Million

Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s “Theater Camp” world premiered this past weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received two standing ovations from the audience, one following the film itself and one after a post-screening musical performance.

Shortly after, Searchlight Pictures took the bait and acquired distribution for the film for $8 million. Bad move. There are no theatrical prospects for “Theater Camp.” None. Zilch. Nada.

This mockumentary set at an upstate musical theater camp will maybe adhere to hardcore camp musical aficionados, but, truthfully, that’s a very minuscule audience. Searchlight might regret this buy, but they were probably hungry buyers to begin with and the fact that not much stood out at this year’s Sundance meant they settled with this one.

No doubt, Searchlight must have been interested in John Carney’s “Flora and Son.” The filmmaker’s latest cutesie musical was met with good reviews and yet another standing ovation from Sundance audiences.

This “buzz” translated into Apple overpaying for the rights to “Flora and Son,” dishing out a whopping $20 million for the film, which has a single mom (Eve Hewson) getting her troubled son a used guitar and hiring the help of a Los Angeles-based online guitar teacher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

Much like “Theater Camp,” the buzz will likely stay at Sundance with this one. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a likeable movie, filled with catchy music, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a reliably great screen presence, but at $20 million, what exactly is Apple expecting from this movie?

Carney’s last film, 2016’s “Sing Street,” only grossed $3 million in the US, and that was when small indies could still make theatrical money. Of course, Apple isn’t necessarily going to be looking at box-office numbers when it comes to their streamer, but questions remain as to what their game plan actually is in regards to this film.

‘Ink’: Danny Boyle Confirms AI Was Used to Generate Margaret Thatcher, The Kray Brothers and Mice

Danny Boyle tells Vanity Fair that AI was used to animate old photographs—which means Margaret Thatcher and the Kray brothers—and to create mice running around the newsroom.

John Malkovich Heads to Israel for ‘The Music Critic’ as ‘Wild Horse Nine’ Puts Him in the Oscar Race: “Closeness and Solidarity”

John Malkovich is set to star in a production of “The Music Critic” in Israel next year, just 24 hours after entering the best actor race for his “Wild Horse Nine” performance. I gather he won’t be getting Mark Ruffalo’s vote.

‘Primetime’: Robert Pattinson Delivers in Entertaining, Visually Striking, Surface-Level Movie — Reviews Are Good, Not Great

“Primetime” doesn’t really go beyond being a good movie. For all of its outrageous entertainment value, it ultimately feels like a stylishly conceived riff on a ridiculous show and its even more ridiculous host.

Andrew Scott Surges Into the Best Actor Oscar Race for ‘Elsinore’ After Telluride Premiere

And just like that, after Venice and Telluride, the Best Actor race is taking shape, with Andrew Scott (“Elsinore”) and John Malkovich (“Wild Horse Nine”) emerging as major contenders.

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Good/Great Movies That Don't Deserve Their “Rotten" Scores

These 31 titles clearly have their share of detractors — that’s why they’re “rotten” — and I expect some people to question a few of these picks. That’s fine. However, I believe most are strong films, worth reevaluating.

‘Dune: Part Three’ Reportedly “Blew Away" Warner Bros. With Rough 3-Hour Cut as New Teaser Stuns

Today, “Dune: Part Three” tickets went on sale, this time non-premium formats were made available, and it was all accompanied by a brand-new teaser—and the footage is stunning.

What is David Fincher’s Best Film? 100+ Critics Say, No Contest, It’s ‘Zodiac’

We managed to gather 118 ballots from critics, programmers, filmmakers, and scholars. Each was asked to submit a single title, the one they believe to be the best of Fincher’s filmography.

Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Glimpses of the Moon’ (Apparently) Starts Production This Month in Italy

Coppola has described “Glimpses” as a “strange 30s-style musical.” No cast has been announced. The film is a loose adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel, “inspired” by Leo McCarey’s “The Awful Truth.”

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

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